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Kaiser Wilhelm Class Super Dreadnought
The Kaiser Wilhelm Class Super Dreadnought was a class of battleship built for the German Kaiserliche Marine. Intended to be the most powerful battleship in the world, the class was ordered in may of 1923 in an attempt to outgun any other ship then in service by a sizable margin. The class used 48cm (19in) guns, far larger than any other weapon then deployed on any warship. Design General Characteristics The original plan called for a ship with 38cm (15in) guns, a maximum speed of 25 knots, a range of 10000km, and armour to protect the ship against similar shells at 15km or greater. The ships were also originally 230m long, 32m wide at the widest, but this was later changed after the original hull was scrapped and the new hulls were made, this time 72m longer and 5m wider. As the times changed so did the design requirements. Weapons and armour slowly increased in size, number, and thickness, until the behemoth that left the dry docks was essentially a wall of power that could easily take on any other ship. Unfortunately, the ship experienced a variety of mechanical issues in her career, meaning she was constantly being modified and repaired. Propulsion Armament The final armament of the Kaiser Wilhelm was 12 48cm (19in) main guns in four triple turrets, 12 15cm (6in) guns, 18 12cm (4.7in) guns, and 2 triple 53cm (21in) torpedo tube arrays. Her maximum firing range is 45km, though the accuracy isn't good enough to actually hit anything that far. Armour Construction The armament of the Kaiser Wilhelm Class changed many times over their 6 year construction period. The original plan was for eight 38cm (15in) guns in four twin turrets. This was modified to eight 402mm (16in) guns when it was discovered that the Americans were building 16in armed ships. After the events of 1925 the ships were altered again, getting a 5m beam increase and the original hulls being scrapped. Then Kaiser Wilhelm II decided to then change the armament once more, this time to nine 46cm (18.1in) guns in three triple turrets. Before any work could take place, a steel shortage in Germany delayed the process, and the Naval Design Board decided the ships should be lengthened, requiring new construction facilities to be built. Finally, in 1928, three keels were laid. Then the NDB changed the design again, following the new propulsion designs, and decided to go completely overboard on armament. The ships were modified to have twelve 48cm (19in) guns in four triple turrets. The number of funnels was retained at four, the final work was begun, and the Kaiser Wilhelm Class was built with the best equipment intended. However, the price at this point was so steep that two of the hulls weren't completed, and would languish in the yards until eventually being used to construct the two Scharnhorst Class vessels in 1935. The remaining hull was launched in 1929 and commissioned in 1930 as SMS Kaiser Wilhelm. History Category:German Navy Ships